Rick Santorum: Tell Senate to Oppose Pro-Abortion CRPD Treaty

Former presidential candidate Rick Santorum is urging pro-life advocates to contact the Senate to urge opposition to the CRPD treaty that pro-life groups say comes with concerns about abortion promotion.

“Yesterday, Karen and I — along with our daughter Bella — joined with U.S. Senator Mike Lee of Utah and Michael Farris of the Home School Legal Defense Association for a news conference calling on the Senate to NOT bring up this flawed treaty,” Santorum said. “And just like that, Senator Harry Reid announced that he will bring this treaty up for a vote this week.”

Santorum says his major concern is his ability as a parent of a special needs child to determine the type and quality of care.

“CRPD, if ratified, threatens U.S. sovereignty and parental rights, and would effectively put the U.S. under international law when it comes to parenting special needs children. One provision in the treaty would give the government, acting under U.N. instructions, the ability to determine for all children with disabilities what is best for them,” Santorum explained. “I don’t know about you, but I believe that in America, that is the parents’ job, certainly not the government’s.”

“Furthermore, the U.N. Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities does nothing to improve the rights of the disabled in this country. Our country already meets or exceeds the U.N. standards, and contrary to reports, passage of this treaty will do NOTHING to give disabled Americans or any disabled person traveling in a foreign country greater protections or rights,” Santorum complained. “What this treaty does do is make American laws subservient to the United Nations. It is flawed, it is wrong and we should not see this in the United States of America.”

Santorum added: “In light of Senator Reid’s decision to bring this treaty up this week, we need you to call the Capitol switchboard at 202-224-3121 and ask to be connected with your senators. Tell them you are strongly opposed to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and if it comes up for a vote, please vote NO.”

Tony Perkins, the head of the Family Research Council, has previously noted the pro-life concerns, saying abortion advocates put language in the treaty in Article 25 that requires signatories to ‘provide persons with disabilities… free or affordable health care including in the area of sexual and reproductive health and population-based health programs.’”

“Translation: the global community could force America to sanction sterilization or abortion for the disabled–at taxpayer expense” he said. “Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) tried to neutralize the threat during the mark-up in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Unfortunately, his amendment (which would have stopped the treaty from forcing abortion policy on countries that sign) was thwarted by Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) after a debate.”

Several pro-life groups are on record opposing the treaty, including Eagle Forum, Family Research Council Action, CitizenLink, Concerned Women for America, Liberty Counsel, and others.

Although there are enough Republican senators to thwart passage, three of its Republicans–Sens. John Barrasso (Wy.), Richard Lugar (Ind.), Johnny Isakson (Ga.)–voted to send the measure to the Senate floor.

By law, the Convention will need 67 votes to pass, which means pro-life advocates need to persuade at least 34 senators to defeat it.

The inclusion of the phrase “reproductive health” affords an opportunity for abortion advocates to interpret the terms as a euphemism for “abortion rights” and push for nations to legalize abortion based on the treaty. Indeed, this interpretation of “reproductive health” is the position of the Obama Administration. Secretary of State Hilary Clinton has testified before the House Foreign Affairs Committee to this effect, stating “We happen to think that family planning is an important part of women’s health, and reproductive health includes access to abortion.”

Unwilling to be explicit and clear about its objectives, the pro-abortion faction within the UN has used the realm of disability rights to provide cover for an attempt to interject the right to abortion into an international treaty. If the US ratifies it, the treaty becomes the law of the land, providing a potential abortion back-up for the day the Supreme Court finally overturns Roe v. Wade.

Human dignity is not something to be “awarded” on the basis of one’s capacities and abilities. Rather it is inherent and inviolable, part of the very nature of the human person, whatever his or her state of physical and mental development. The dignity of the person is universal, and must be upheld, equally, for all. It is sadly ironic that a treaty aimed at securing recognition of the dignity of some (the disabled) would be written so as to put at jeopardy the dignity of others (the unborn).

The inclusion of Article 25 within the CRPD should prevent the United States Senate from ratifying the treaty. Americans United for Life urges all pro-life supporters to contact their United States Senators and ask them to oppose the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.